This, perhaps, was a tad more dangerous than what El had told Bibidi they'd stick to. But when talk amongst the Rangers in Dewford included the question of ferrying supplies to help everyone, they just had to offer a hand - despite technically being a civilian. After all, it wasn't like they were fighting on the front lines - as long as no one popped up in their way, ideally, there wouldn't even be any fighting at all!

Thus, Akero whistled as she flew alongside Josh's dragon pokemon - the Togekiss seeming perfectly cheery, despite the more serious context of the situation. Really, El was pretty sure that the only thing that'd have Akero so much as furrow a brow, was when she ran into more ill or negative-natured folks. While she was happy as a clamperl around more cheery people, she was practically repelled by 'negative nancies'.

Josh seemed passable enough for Akero though, the Togekiss occasionally drifting by Yosei and Josh with melodic little coos, as if he were trying to get a smile out of the gym leader.

El, meanwhile, would double check the cargo that Akero had strapped on - making sure that everything was still secure. Glancing up from the tub he carried though, they'd glance to Bibidi - floating alongside them - asking "See anything?"

The Alakazam in question was making full use of her Future Sight - a glow peeking out between her closed eyelids as she focused, attempting to gauge the safest path for the group to take. But, she would convey a negatory to El - she hadn't spotted anything amiss. At least, not yet. (She also, yet again, would like to express to El that this wasn't safe - though this was something that her trainer had been deadset on, much to her chagrin.)

But finally, there was also Psyche - the speedy Masquerain having taken to scouting ahead every so often, to see what he could find. Though he was too small and light to carry much, this same quality offered him a certain speed and maneuverability, being able to flit about without drawing too much attention to himself.

With everything in place, hopefully this supply run would be smooth sailing..!

Assisted another character/their pokemon


Josh Devlin

Josh guided Yosei as close to El and Akero as he comfortably could. "Right, I think this is the first time since we've seen each other since the Silph Cup, isn't it?" he asked. "I watched the race back. You're a natural. Oh right, I never formally introduced myself, did I?" he shrugged as Dewford Island came into view. "You could probably win at my Gym's racing challenge, but we're full up until September." That, of course, was a little white lie. It wasn't that the Gym's racing challenge was booked that far out. It was that he had been barred from his own Gym until then. Little did he know that drama would occur there at the worst possible time...

"There are gonna be Rockets everywhere at Dewford, especially the closer we get to Granite Cave," Josh warned El. "Be ready for a fight. When you're ready, we descend." Provided the rookie Ranger gave a signal of approval, the Elite would instruct his team to descend, approaching from the east side to give them the best chance to ambush Rockets attempting to disrupt League supply lines.

Josh's praise put a slight flush on El's cheeks. They had to have done at least somewhat well to have made it in the qualifiers, sure -- but to be given praise by someone who's whole deal was being the master of speed, well, it was somewhat flustering. "T-thank you, Josh sir!" They'd respond with a shy smile - split between wanting to be formal, and Josh's preference for informal - adding "Maybe I'll give the challenge a try when a slot opens up?" The idea was certainly appealing - getting to race again would be fun.

And Akero seemed to agree as well, with the happy whistle she made..!

But right now, there was the question of avoiding Rocket - and at Josh's warning, the gears in their head began to turn. They wanted to avoid fighting - both for personal reasons, and because there was a risk that the supplies would get lost or damaged in the chaos. But rather than fight... "... What if we speed past them, and avoid them entirely?" El suggested. It was hard to disrupt a supply line if it was going faster than expected, after all. "Akero knows Tailwind - it should affect the whole group."

If Josh agreed to the plan, Akero would let out an eager trill, her wings fluttering. At her call, the wind seemed to shift to their backs - filling one's wings, carrying them upwards and onwards. With the added speed of the Tailwind, very little - if anything - would be able to catch them..!

Josh Devlin

Josh sir? It wasn't in his nature to be overly formal, but he wouldn't say anything to them about it. "...If you're waiting to race me, it might be a while. Due to some matters I'm not at liberty to discuss, I won't be personally taking any racing challenges until September. My calendar's pretty far open that far out, though. If you want a challenge, I'd recommend signing up. It gets booked pretty quickly during the warmer months."

"That's a great idea, El!" And with that, they charged above Dewford's eastern plaza, the sudden shift of wind from southwest to east alerting several Rockets with firearms mimicking various projectile attacks Pokémon used. While the TAILWIND blew the many BULLET SEEDs aside, it did not do so with SCALE SHOT. The added speed and the winds that shifted to always be at the racers' backs made it difficult for their assailants to properly lead their shots. Two, however, grazed the Charizard's straps keeping his cargo steady. A tub of canned goods fell off the fire dragon's back and into a vacant park. Good thing it was the middle of a weekday! "El, I don't know where they're coming from!" he cried as another projectile buzzed his helmet.

Things were smooth sailing, initially - although as the group flew high above Dewford proper, a spray of projectiles would come their way..! El winced as a tub of food was sent tumbling to the ground below - although thankfully, they had plenty more amongst the cargo, and could potentially retrieve it later. Though a few Scale Shots ended up coming Akero's way as well, the dragon-type attack would bounce off of the fairy-type's feathers harmlessly.

However, Josh had trouble telling which way the fire was coming from - and El would make two calls. "Akero, Safeguard - Bibidi, what do you think?"

Akero, wasting no time, would make a gesture with her wings - letting out a cheery whistle as a protective glow enveloped the group. Hopefully, that'd do well in keeping the brunt of the attacks at bay!

Bibidi, however, was deep in thought - the glow of her Future Sight still present... Until she suddenly an arm outwards - spoon in hand - stopping a number of projectiles in their tracks! The Bullet Seeds and Scale Shots were glowing with her psychic influence - suspended in mid-air - and with a downwards flick of the spoon, she'd release the projectiles to let them harmlessly fall back down.

The alakazam would soon reach out to the minds of Josh and El both - giving a mental nudge and indicating another direction, off to the side. "I think she figured out a direction for us to go," El spoke - glancing over to Josh to see what he thought of her suggestion. They weren't sure whether it'd be faster, but they trusted that it'd be safe, with how hard Bibidi had been focusing with her prior Future Sight.

Assisted another character/their pokemon


Josh Devlin

"Got it, El!" Josh replied through his comms due to the two no longer being in earshot. The Alakazam was capable of mind linking even over great distances - what a powerful psychic Pokémon! Unlike Janus, whose psychic imagery was blurry, Bibidi's was crystal clear.

El was right, too. It wouldn't be faster; it would be much slower, and it would take them over the water to the south of town. Speed wasn't as important as getting the supply drops to those who needed it. It still wasn't completely safe, though; merely safer. Rather than having to deal with a plethora of Rockets, they would only have to deal with the guard Pokémon of one of them. It was unlikely Akero could protect El and Josh's entire squad from all of them. "I'll secure the way forward. You focus on getting to the rendezvous point!"

With that, Josh, his Charizard, and Salamence broke away from the formation, serving as a decoy for the rest of his Pokémon to accomplish their mission. A floating Bronzong had a crafty idea, though, creating a field of high GRAVITY around the two dragons and forcing them to the ground. When a ROCK SLIDE was added to the mix, there was nowhere for the dragons to run or hide. "Ares, NO!" the Gym Leader shouted, and would have been audible to El, comms or no. Yosei, taking advantage of the high gravity preventing the steel-type's own levitation, slammed into the ground in a brutal EARTHQUAKE that rocked his trainer, too. The Bronzong backed down, letting the momentum of the attack carry it outside the field of gravity.

Josh wasn't going to let it get away, though, ordering his dragon to crash into the steel-type with a second seismic attack. It hurt him, too, making his thighs ache. This was nothing compared to Meteno, though. His trip into space really toughed him up and made him into a true warrior showcasing his value to the League.

At Josh's command, El would initially nod - "Got it!" - willing to follow their superior's directions. They trusted him, being the older and more experienced of the two of them - and with Bibidi helping keep an eye out for any additional danger, they felt confident they could lead the remaining pokemon here to the point on their own.

And yet, as Ares and Yosei both split away from the group, it didn't take long for trouble to approach. El - more focused on the path ahead - was initially blissfully unaware, but a distant shout from Josh would draw their attention to the side... In time to see as a Rock Slide knocked out Ares, from a Bronzong that had engaged the duo!

Anxiety initially twisted in their chest- they didn't want to send their pokemon into a fight, if they could help it. And yet, that being said, it would be worse to just leave Josh hanging. "Psyche - go give them a hand!" El called to their masquerain - and the bug-type, ready to act, would zip off in a timely fashion.

Upon drawing near, Psyche would stick to the edges of the gravity field that the Bronzong had formed - watching as Yosei chased the steel-type to the edge of the aforementioned field. Rather than giving the Bronzong a chance to lift off though, the masquerain would spit a Sticky Web downwards - attempting to adhere the steel-type to the ground, for Yosei to more easily strike it!

Josh Devlin

The twin EARTHQUAKE attacks downed not only the Bronzong, but other Pokémon surrounding them, as well. With the steel-type unconscious, the gravity field disappeared, letting the tired dragon-type get back in the air and to relative safety. Glancing behind him to make sure El was okay, it was apparent that the supply crate the fallen Charizard had dropped was a lost cause. Psyche's STICKY WEB, spread over a large area, immobilized the few anti-air defenses the Rockets had. "Hurry, El! We're almost there!"

With that, Josh's dragons picked up the pace to the highest sustained speed their cargo would let them. Dragon Dance and similar moves were certainly an impossibility to use effectively, not due to the weight of the crates, but their size and shape. It would be far too easy to lose one in the sudden momentum shift that came with a speed-boosting move. With their higher speeds, the duo and their teams of Pokémon were able to make it to the League base nearest the entrance to Granite Cave without further incident. With the help of his Salamence, Josh began unloading the crates from the rest of his Pokémon. With their mission mostly a success, the League would be in much better shape to keep large platoons of Rockets away from the rift now.

El let out a heavy exhale of relief, as the distant outpost near Granite Cave came into view. Though they had lost a bit of cargo along the way, things had gone far better than they could've, all things considered. Akero gently touched down - barely disturbing even a blade of grass - allowing El to carefully slide down from his back, to help unload the supplies. "We did good, buddy," They'd praise the togekiss - unable to help a laugh, when he let out a joyous whistle in response.

Things definitely could be a bit scary, but... They felt like they could do this. That they could make a difference for people - even if it wasn't anything big. And this was but one of the many steps they were making towards that.